Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes
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Spoon into these lovely lemon pudding cakes and discover a layer of luscious lemon pudding beneath the cake!
As someone who cooks for a living, I’m always mindful of dessert portion sizes, yet I make an exception for these irresistible lemon pudding cakes. They’re refreshingly light and practically guilt-free. Plus, they come with a delicious surprise: the batter separates during baking into a fluffy cake layer and a luscious lemon pudding beneath. If you don’t have ramekins, an 8-inch square or a 2-quart baking dish works just as well—the baking time will be about the same.
“Absolutely delicious and really easy! Makes such an elegant dessert…I get rave reviews when I serve this.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Pudding Cakes
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, spray six (6-oz) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray then begin making the batter by whisking the egg yolks, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, and salt in a large bowl.
Add the flour and sugar and whisk until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
When you lift the beaters out, the peaks should curl.
Whisk a bit of the beaten eggs into the lemon mixture to lighten it. Then add the remaining beaten egg whites to the mixture.
Gently fold with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth.
The batter will be light, foamy, and liquidy.
Place the prepared ramekins into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Ladle the batter evenly into 6-oz (180-ml) ramekins (it will come almost to the top). Using a teapot or pitcher, pour room temperature water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The water bath (also called a bain marie) regulates the temperature and keeps the cake baking at a gentle temperature so the custard, or pudding, can form.
Carefully place the baking pan in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cakes are puffy and lightly golden on top.
Using tongs, carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving. (They will sink a bit as they cool; that’s okay.) Dust with Confectioners’ sugar and serve with berries, if desired. Enjoy!
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Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes
Spoon into these lovely lemon pudding cakes and discover a layer of luscious lemon pudding beneath the cake!
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup milk (low-fat or whole)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, from 2 lemons
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- Fresh berries and Confectioners' sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Spray six (6-oz) ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and salt. Add the flour and sugar and whisk until smooth.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. (The peaks should curl when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.) Spoon about ¼ of the egg whites into the lemon mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining egg whites and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold into the lemon mixture until smooth. The batter will be light, foamy, and liquidy.
- Place the prepared ramekins into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Ladle the batter evenly into the ramekins (it will come almost to the top). Using a teapot or pitcher, pour room temperature water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cakes are puffy and lightly golden on top. Using tongs, carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving. (They will sink a bit as they cool; that's okay.) Dust with Confectioners' sugar and serve with berries, if desired.
- Make Ahead: The cakes can be made a day ahead of time. Once completely cool, cover the cakes with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Before serving, preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the plastic wrap and place the ramekins on a baking sheet; heat for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (1 cake servings)
- Calories: 248
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Sugar: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 152 g
- Cholesterol: 105 g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi there,
I’d like to put the pudding cakes in (4) 9oz ramekins.
How much longer should I bake them???
Thanks! The recipe looks great.
Anne Martin
Hi Anne, It’s hard to say as I’ve never tried it, but I’m guessing they’ll need 5 to 10 minutes more.
I’ve made these 3 times in the past few months and they’ve come out perfectly everytime. I have a sweet family with 2 wee ones that live next door so I take them 4 and keep 2 for myself 😁. Truly believe it’s the best dessert I’ve ever made. Thank you!
Can these be frozen after baking?
Hi Susan, you can make these a day ahead and refrigerate them, but unfortunately, I don’t think they’d freeze well – sorry! If you’d like to make them ahead, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe to see detailed instructions.
I have made these several times and my friends just want MORE! This is so light and deliciously lemon! I am sure I will be making it many more times in the future!
I liked the how light the cake tasted, but mine didn’t have a lot of lemon flavor to them. I was dissapointed by this. Also, it wasn’t very sweet. I put exactly 1 cup of sugar in. :/
Hi Jen
What is your thought about making this with limes? I have more limes than I know what to do with. Though I do zest and juice/freeze some.
Thanks
Hi Sandy, I like the zing that lemons provide, but this should work with limes as well. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Hi! I love your recipes and this one is no exception! But…is there any chance there is a chocolate version of this?
Glad you like this, Lena! I will add a chocolate version to my list of recipes to potentially develop. 🙂
Lena- There is another old fashioned recipe sometimes called Hot Fudge Sundae Cake. You mix the batter in the pan, top with brown sugar and pour boiling water on top. It magically bakes to cake on top with hot fudge sauce below. An old classic – I’m sure you can Google it.
In Australia the chocolate version is called a ‘self saucing pudding’ . There are many recipes Also a lemon pudding called Lemon Delicious, which is also delicious.
Fabulous recipe! But your last suggestion re. covering with food wrap and serving the next day after heating at 350 would not be recommended by the Food Safety folks, because of the egg yolks. Also, I added a smidge of lavender to ours, what a wonderful combination. Thank you!!
Hi Louise…food novice here, but is it a problem, because the eggs are cooked once already and refrigerated? Just curious
I was given some lemons and was looking for an alternative to lemon bars, so I decided to give this recipe a try. I couldn’t be happier with the results — healthier and easier to make than lemon bars, but equally tasty and with a very elegant presentation. I accidentally over-whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks, but everything still came out perfect. Good both warm from the oven and chilled the next day.
Delicious! Just a little too sweet so will reduce sugar next time. Thanks for the recipe.